


Turn Back Time

by TonightShadeRed



Series: Critical Role AUs [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, God Ascension, Minor Shaun Gilmore/Vax'ildan, Multi, Past, Past Character Death, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-10 09:10:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12296001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TonightShadeRed/pseuds/TonightShadeRed
Summary: Vecna's too powerful for them. He ascended earlier than they thought, destroyed Emon in his act of power, and is now a full God. So, they decide to defeat him before he became too powerful for them. That means turning back the clock, back to before. Specifically, a year before.However, things never go the way they plan with Vox Machina. And changing the past could change the future irreversibly.Is it possible to create a future worse than Vecna ascending?





	1. Legends of Old

**Author's Note:**

> Posting spree from me, because I'm procrastinating my homework and want to update some stuff, especially after 114. Holy shit. Anyway, here's another Critical Role AU. (I can't stop writing them)

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Vex asked.

 

“Lighten up,” Scanlan said, leaning against the wall as he watched the clerics rush back and forth. “What could possibly go-”

 

“Don't you fucking dare,” Vex warned. “We do  _ not  _ need that kind of karma right now.”

 

Scanlan shrugged, his usual smirk splayed across his face. Vex sighed heavily, watching as the clerics finished their final touches and turned to Vox Machina.

 

“We… are as ready as we can be,” Deneves, the lead cleric, said, nervously glancing at the altar.

 

“Well, let's do this,” Vax muttered, his face grim. He nodded at Keyleth, who took a deep breath and stepped up to the altar. She stared down at it for a moment.

 

“Are we sure we want to do this?” She asked. “We might not ever come home.”

 

“It’s the only way we can defeat Vecna,” Percy said. “He's too powerful, so by going back in time to before he became a god, we actually stand a chance.”

 

They nodded at each other and stepped up to the altar, entwining hands. Keyleth frowned in concentration and began muttering a spell. The altar started glowing, sending a soft red light through the room.

 

A shock of energy jolted through Scanlan, and suddenly light filled the entire room. Scanlan lost his balance and nearly fell over, but Vax and Pike’s hands held tightly to his own, keeping him upright. When the light faded and Scanlan could open his eyes again, they were standing on open ground in the middle of Vassalheim.

 

“I think it worked,” Scanlan called. “This is where the temple should be, but it looks like it hasn't been built yet.”

 

“How far back did we go?” Percy asked. “It looks like at least a year, as Sarenrae’s temple hasn't been built.”

 

“I don't know,” Keyleth said. “The spell is a mixture of Planeshift and Sarenrae’s blessing. We could be any time in the past.”

 

“Well, it seems we're rather recent,” Vax said. “About a year back.”

 

“So where to now?” Grog asked. “Who's face are we going to smash first?”

 

“Ank’Harel, probably,” Pike said. “Since that's where the Ziggurat closest to Thar Amphala is.”

 

“Sounds good,” Vex said. “Keyleth, can you Treestride us there?”

 

“Yeah,” Keyleth said. She headed towards the gates of Vasselheim, and the rest of them followed. Scanlan trailed near the back, looking around Vasselheim, trying to see if anything was different.

 

He scanned the streets, and something caught his eye. A flash of purple crossed his vision, and Scanlan glanced over to see a rather drunk gnome dressed in purple flirting with an unimpressed woman.

 

“Oh my god,” Scanlan said. Percy heard him and a grin split his face as he noticed what Scanlan was staring at.

 

“Is that -  _ you? _ ” Percy asked incredulously. He didn't even try to be quiet, alerting the rest of Vox Machina, who all turned to look.

 

“Holy shit -  you're so drunk!” Vax said with glee.

 

“Yeah.” Scanlan sighed. He watched with horror as his past self tripped and landed in the mud face first.

 

“Let's go before he notices us,” Scanlan urged, but no one moved. Pike covered a smile with her hand, while Grog bellowed out a laugh.

 

“Looks like we had a good time, oi, Scanlan?” Grog cackled.

 

“I'm so  _ hammered _ ,” Scanlan sighed. “Dumbass can’t even stand up.”

 

Vax snickered, giving Scanlan a wink. Scanlan winked back and made a chugging motion, which made both Vax and Grog laugh.

 

Scanlan glanced back at where his drunk past self lay, and for a moment they locked eyes. He felt a cold shiver crawl down the back of his spine, and he suddenly pushed ahead and marched for the gates of Vasselheim, refusing to look back.

 

“Scanlan?” Pike called, and he could hear them following behind him.

 

“Let's just go,” Scanlan said. “Last thing we need is some sort of time paradox on our hands.”

 

“That's a good point,” Percy agreed. “Avoiding our past selves is probably for the best.”

 

“Well, if we’re here in Vasselheim, then it should be fine,” Vex said. “As long as we know where our other selves are, we can avoid them.”

 

Keyleth opened the Treestride, and they walked through, depositing them outside of the cave that led to the Ziggurat.

 

The cave entrance was open, and strangely, there was no other entrance other than the natural one, which remained unblocked. Scanlan exchanged an uncomfortable glance with Pike. This was strange.

 

They cautiously walked into the tunnel, preparing for Delilah Briarwood and the worst. But they found neither, instead just an empty cavern with the Ziggurat pulsing slowly.

 

Keyleth knelt down, communing with nature outside of the range of the Ziggurat. She frowned and looked up at them.

 

“There’s no sign of Vecna or his cult followers ever being here,” Keyleth said.

 

“Maybe we're too early,” Vex suggested. “Maybe Vecna hasn't gotten to this part of his plan yet.”

 

“So where the hell are we going to find him?” Grog asked.

 

“I don't know,” Keyleth said.

 

“What do we do now?” Scanlan asked.

 

“Whitestone,” Percy said. “If Pike hasn't started building the temple of Sarenrae yet, that means Delilah is still in Whitestone. We find her, question her-”

 

“And then smash her face in!” Grog finished.

 

“Exactly.”

 

“It'll be a fun trip down memory lane,” Scanlan quipped. “Remember when we took down a vampire-infested city? Good times!”

 

Percy nodded at Keyleth, who opened up a tree. Scanlan walked through, used to the familiar rush of Treestriding. He stepped out into the forest surrounding Whitestone, just off of the main road.

 

“So, we do what we did before?” Vax asked. “Use Seeming, sneak into the city, and then head straight for the castle?”

 

Scanlan shrugged. “Sounds good to me. Our plans always go to shit anyway, so I'm cool with whatever.”

 

Scanlan cast Seeming, turning them into plain-looking, if not a little strange, civilians. He almost made Grog bright purple, just for the hell of it, but Scanlan decided he didn't want to attract attention in vampire town.

 

The tension was thick as they walked through the front gates, but the guards didn't even glance at them as they passed through.

 

The main road was far from empty, in fact, it was busier than Whitestone after liberation had ever been. There weren't any burnt down or abandoned buildings, and everything seemed to be fine. The villagers went about their normal business, filling the road with noise and activity.

 

“What the hell?” Grog asked. “This doesn't look like evil-undead-Whitestone.”

 

“Excuse me,” someone said behind them. “You look lost. Perhaps I can help?”

 

Scanlan turned around to see a young man, with a mop of brown hair and startingly familiar features. Scanlan glanced over to see Percy with a mixed look of both shock and horror on his face as he stared at the boy next to the man.

 

“Ludwig?” Percy asked, his voice hoarse.

 

In front of them stood Percival de Rolo and his younger brother, before the disastrous day that destroyed Percy’s family and hope.

 

They had gone a little farther back in time than they had thought.


	2. Long Lost Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remembering the past and experiencing the past are two very different things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Episode 115 made me sad.

“I'm sorry, do I know you?” Young-Percy asked, a small smile on his face that Scanlan recognized as  _ I'm pretending to like you but if you make a move I'll fucking end you right here. _

 

Percy was standing stock still, his face paler than usual as he stared at both Young-Percy and Ludwig with a look of pure shock. His mouth was even hanging open, and he looked too stricken to close it.

 

“Ah, I'm sorry, we aren't acquainted,” Scanlan said. “Trevor here is just a big history nerd who’s memorized all the noble family trees and such. He's a big fan.”

 

Young-Percy turned his studious gaze from Percy to Scanlan, and Vex took that moment to pull Percy aside and talk to him in a low voice. Scanlan smiled brightly, remembering that he looked like a little peasant boy at the moment. Ludwig looked skeptical, but didn't say anything.

 

_ Please buy it, _ Scanlan thought.  _ We really do not need to be arrested by Percy’s dead family. That'll just make everything even worse. _

 

“I see,” Young-Percy said, even though he didn't look convinced. “I hope you find your way around Whitestone alright. Good day.” With that, he led Ludwig away, disappearing into the crowd.

 

“Well, I think it's safe to say shit hit the fan,” Vax said lightly.”We obviously went farther back than we intended to.”

 

“And we have no way of finding Vecna,” Keyleth added. “There's no way he isn't hidden from scrying.”

 

“So, what?’ Pike asked. “We just have to wait until-” she glanced at Percy and lowered her voice. “Until the Briarwoods come to kill the de Rolos, and then question Delilah?”

 

“We don't know how many years away that is,” Grog said. “That could be, like… a lot of years. A very high number.”

 

“Let's find ourselves a place to stay,” Scanlan said. “And then we'll sort this out in the morning.”

 

“When Percy hopefully calms down a little from the shock,” Keyleth added.

 

They turned the corner to find Percy and Vex talking, Percy running a hand through his hair. Vex glanced over at them, then back at Percy.

 

“-just right there,” Percy was saying. “Like it had never happened, any of it.”

 

“I know,” Vex said softly. “We'll figure this out later, alright?”

 

“We have to be at least six years in the past,” Percy said. “That was the last time I saw-” he went quiet, swallowing. “Yes. Let's go, this is something I think I'd like to think about later, over a  _ lot _ of alcohol.”

 

They trudged through the streets, a new tension between them as they walked. Percy remained silent, watching people pass by and fiddling with his gun. Occasionally he'd see someone that he recognized, and he'd make an uncomfortable noise and shake his head.

 

Eventually they made it to a familiar tavern. It looked different when it wasn't rundown; it was well-kept and busy. Scanlan glanced down the road, where he could see the Sun Tree, full and healthy in the town square.

 

Vax pushed the door open and a wave of noise and heat hit Scanlan's face. They stepped into the tavern, Scanlan towards the back as they walked to the bar. They earned a few stares, but for the most part, the tavern patrons didn't give them much mind.

 

Vex began bartering with the bartender for rooms, and Scanlan took the opportunity to scan the room. It was mostly humans, but there was a smattering of other races around the rowdy bar. Many of them seemed to be adventurers who had decided to stay the night before moving on to whatever quest or work they had.

 

Scanlan turned back to the group, noticing Percy nervously play with his hands. Pike met Scanlan's eyes, offering him a tight smile. Vex nodded at the bartender, a small smile on her face that said that she had managed to lower the price quite a bit.

 

“This way, please,” the bartender said, leading them up the stairs to a set of rooms. “These are your rooms. Holler if you need anything.”

 

They split off, the two couples together and everyone else to their own room. Scanlan set down his stuff before heading to Pike's room, where everyone else had gathered.

 

“So we know that we went farther back in time than we thought,” Keyleth began carefully.

 

“And we have no idea where Vecna, the Briarwoods, or any of his followers are,” Vax pointed out.

 

“Well, the Briarwoods are from Wildmount, right?” Scanlan asked. “So I guess they're chilling out there for now.”

 

“But Wildmount is massive,” Vex said. “There’s no way we can search the entire area for them. Not to mention if we do that, we run the risk of missing them on their way to Whitestone.”

 

“We can change everything,” Percy murmured. “My family - I can  _ save them. _ ”

 

Scanlan exchanged a look with Vax, unsure what to say. Vex rubbed Percy’s back, looking worried for him.

 

“Changing the past is a tricky thing,” Scanlan said carefully. Percy’s eyes shot up to him, an intense fire kindling in them.

 

“I can save my family,” Percy repeated. “We can stop Vecna, and the Briarwoods, and stop my family and this city from ever experiencing the torturous touch of the Briarwoods. We can change the world for the better!”

 

“But if we do that,” Vax spoke. “You will never meet us. We won't be Vox Machina.”

 

“We won't be together,” Vex whispered. Percy met her eyes, before staring down at the floor, a storm of emotions warring on his face.

 

“You are my everything,” Percy said, grabbing Vex’s hand. She smiled back at him, squeezing his hand.

 

“We still need to figure out what to do,” Grog spoke up. “We aren't just gonna sit around and wait for the Briarwoods or Vecna to show up, right?”

 

“Of course not,” Pike said. “If we can get to the Ziggurat beneath Whitestone, we can disable it. They can't use it, and since we know this is one that they're targeting, it'll set them back.”

 

“That’s the best plan we've got,” Vax agreed.

 

“But to do that we'll need the approval of the de Rolos,” Scanlan added. “We're not going to just sneakily destroy a Ziggurat  _ literally  _ beneath their noses.”

 

“The de Rolos,” Percy chuckled. “I suppose that circle is wider than I'm used to.”

 

“You see Young Percy, though?” Scanlan grinned. “What an adorable baby face!”

 

Percy turned red, and Vex laughed. Vax clapped him on the back, smirking.

 

“So, how are we doing this?” Pike asked.

 

Percy sighed. “I suppose we just go up and introduce ourselves. I'm sure they'll help their son from the future, right?”

 

“Are you sure?” Vex said. “We can convince them without revealing you, if you'd like.”

 

“No,” Percy stated. He laughed sadly. “It's been so long since I saw my family. I want them to see me as me.”

 

“Alright,” Keyleth said. “So we have a plan, I guess.”

 

“Will they believe us?” Scanlan wondered.

 

“They're going to have to,” Grog said. “We've got a fuckin’ future Percy with us.”

 

“I know a few things to convince them,” Percy said with a wry smile. “Don't worry about that.”

 

* * *

 

 

They stood in front of the Sun Tree, staring up at the castle in the distance that held both good and bad memories alike. Scanlan glanced at Percy, his face set in stone but his eyes holding a deep sadness.

 

“Let's do this, then,” Percy muttered. The rest of them followed behind Percy as he led them up to the gates of Castle Whitestone. The road was familiar, and Scanlan couldn't help a twinge of nostalgia in his chest.

 

“Stop!” a guard called as the reached the gates. “Who are you and what's your business?”

 

Percy reached up, grabbing the hat of disguise and pulling it off his head. His appearance changed, revealing his shock-white hair. He looked up at the guard, speaking with determination and confidence, his head held high.

 

“Tell the de Rolos their son is here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taliesin Jaffe is a god? No one can convince me otherwise.

**Author's Note:**

> What's a time travel AU without meeting your past self and your dead relatives?


End file.
